Stay tuned as next week we will bring you the Counter-Point to Moran’s POV.

“Every extra dollar deduction you can wring out on bankruptcy’s means test is important. A dollar doesn’t sound like a lot, . . . Every $100 saves $6000. Get the picture?”

For nearly a year, I’ve been hanging out on a Facebook “bankruptcy support” group. It’s a world full of misunderstanding, fear, and anguish. But it’s also clear to me that our profession can learn some things from that stew, both individually and collectively. We need to work together to fix the disconnect. Ideas? We would love to hear them.

“These suits now regularly result in the plaintiff being in deep debt to the IRS with insufficient funds to pay even the tax. AKA: Tax Hell.”

Bankruptcy terminology, so familiar to lawyers, stymies clients. Even common English words seem to flummox our clients. We are a pair, divided by our common language. Check out Attorney Moran’s Words at War and then add your own to be shared next week.

As lawyers, words are our stock in trade. Here, Cathy and Ed Boltz look at an explanation of the difference between preemption and preclusion.

Pay off debt first or start saving now? A question you, as a debtor attorney, are often asked. It’s a debate almost as convoluted as which came first, the chicken or the egg?

“The client now claims that my words were a license to fail to disclose the gifts. Huh?”

What do you know about FRBP 7041? Maybe younever gave it much thought. Here, Atty Moran shares her encounter with the rule which ended up at the 9th Circuit. She concluded that the “Withdraw” event on ECF enabled a trap for the unwary counsel and court.

Bankruptcy lawyers can better present non-mortgage homeownership expenses to reflect current economic realities on the means test. By advocating for realistic expense allowances, based on a percentage of the home’s purchase price, attorneys can ensure fairer assessments and more successful bankruptcy plans. Additionally, Trustees and Judges should look at Atty Moran’s analysis here – change will take the whole village.